Zero Burning Policy Should be Applied to Every Party

Metrotvnews.com, Jakarta: Researcher of the Research Paradigm Institute, HR Prasetyo Sunaryo urged the government to utilize the data from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and LAPAN to anticipate forest and land fire.

He thinks that zero burning policy should become a conscience for all parties. "Zero burning should be for every party," he said in a written statement in Jakarta, Monday (10/12/2015).

He added that earlier anticipation is needed as in several locations, the cases of forest fire have very complex perpetrators. It can be from the company people, but also several local residents who are conducting the same actions. "In several place, it has become a tradition," he explained.

He put an example, from the various cases revealed in the mass media, that the motives are varied. Starting from just cleaning the land area, up to the spread to other lands such as the case of fire in the Lore Lindu National Park, Palu. There were even the intentional purpose for planting pepper, as what had happened in Bangka Belitung.

"The people did burn land in small scales. But if they are allowed, there will be many. If it is spread by the wind, it will hit the lands owned by others, or also corporate, where the scale is sudden, so it became significant. Zero burning should be applied to all parties," he affirmed.

Therefore, the government is asked to use the data from BMKG and LAPAN, as both institutions are confirmed to routinely publish early warnings. "The concern is that the related officials think it is only regular fire. So, they let it be," he stated.

He explained that from the publicly accessible satellite data of LAPAN, it showed the number of fire spots in Sumatra since July. Meanwhile BMKG's data on daily basis shows the hotspots and the latest locations based on the coordinates and administrative regions to the district level.

For information, the observation from the BMKG site for October 9, for example, showed new hotspots detected in the eastern part of Indonesia. In South Sumatra, there are two new hotspots detected in Ulumusi, Empat Lawang, South Sumatra.

These hotspots causing haze that are blown away into the neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.